--(Cont'd From Front Page)-- With all the trouble and mayhem that took place on the track and on pit road, the drivers had a right to be angry; hence, we borrow the theme for the week from the 1957 film classic "12 Angry Men."

1. Jimmie Johnson, 5,575 points. Like Juror No. 8 (played by Henry Fonda), Johnson kept a cool head when Edwards flew by him in Turn 3 on the final lap. Johnson knew the laws of physics would take over, and his presence of mind won the day.

2. Carl Edwards, 5,565. No one can accuse Edwards of not doing everything he could to win the race, including a deliberate run-in with the outside wall, much as Juror No. 3 (played by Lee J. Cobb) was eager to confront anyone who didn't share his convictions.

Trading paint ball with the Bad Boy of NASCAR

5. Jeff Burton, 5,454. At 41, Burton is the senior member of the Chase cast, so he gets to play the old man, Juror No. 9 (played by Joseph Sweeney). Burton finished seventh Sunday but lost ground to the leaders. Like Juror No. 9, he's solid and steady, but he's not fast enough to be first. 5. Kevin Harvick, 5,439. Like Juror No. 7 (played by Jack Warden), Harvick would rather be somewhere else -- somewhere other than fifth place in the points, that is. His frustrations boiled over when he finished sixth Sunday and fell farther behind.

6. Jeff Gordon, 5,432. Losing third position to Greg Biffle in a drag race off the last corner should be enough to make anyone angry, but like Juror No. 1 (played by Martin Balsam), Gordon kept his emotions in check. With a two-position move in the standings on Sunday, Gordon was the big gainer.

7. Clint Bowyer, 5,411. Bowyer had two scrapes with the law on Sunday -- the first for jumping the restart, the second for speeding on pit road. That may have produced a sour disposition, like that of Juror No. 6 (played by Ed Binns), but Bowyer rallied to run 12th and lost just one position in the standings.

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 5,385. The way he and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. squabble, Junior sometimes sounds like cantankerous Juror No. 10 (played by Ed Begley). At Kansas, however, Earnhardt held his tongue in check, finished 13th and moved up a spot in the Chase rankings.

9. Matt Kenseth, 5,383. Like Juror No. 11 (played by George Voskovec), Kenseth is hard to rile. But a missing lug nut and a spin in Turn 2 are enough to get anyone's dander up.

10. Denny Hamlin, 5,332. Despite finishing 11th on Sunday, Hamlin is 243 points behind Johnson, and at this point, he shares an air of resignation with Juror No. 4 (played by E.G. Marshall).

11. Tony Stewart, 5,320. Stewart doesn't look or act anything like mousy Juror No. 2 (played by John Fiedler), but his 40th-place performance on Sunday was just as tepid. If Brian Vickers were the defendant in this case, Stewart would vote to convict.

12. Kyle Busch, 5,264. After three equipment failures in three Chase races, Busch can only approach life with a cutting edge of wry humor, as does Juror No. 5 (played by Jack Klugman).

Reader comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy

---

NOTE: I'm a one man show, not supported by anyone. If you wish to donate to help offset expense, it would be appreciated:

toolbar powered by Conduit

BACK TO FRONT PAGE<